When it comes to planning your final resting place, it’s never too soon to get started. Planning your funeral ahead of time, while you’re still alive, is the best way to ensure that everything proceeds exactly to plan when your time finally comes. Nobody knows when that time is, so staying on top of these matter throughout your lifetime will ultimately give both you and your loved ones complete peace of mind.

Keep Ahead Of The Game

We always recommend at least touching base with an estate planning lawyer and financial planner before you begin planning your funeral, as they are two incredibly useful people who are fantastic resources. They can help you lay out a plan of attack that will make sure your family and friends aren’t overburdened with the cost of your funeral, giving you helpful tips and advice for the future. Once you’ve laid the groundwork, planning your funeral is the next step and allows you to pick and choose your highlights. This also includes choosing a burial plot or urn, depending on whether you opt for burial or cremation.

Involving Your Loved Ones

On top of relieving financial stress for those left behind, you can involve them in your funeral plans while you’re still alive, to personally guide them with choices that become more difficult when you’re not around. This allows you to suggest readings and hymns you want to feature at your funeral, as well as being able to make decisions with regard to flowers, decorations, pallbearers, and those people you want to be present at the service. You can also chat about wake ideas and let your family or friends bounce their own ideas off of you, making your funeral a truly engaging and collaborative experience for everyone involved.

Plan For The Worst, Hope For The Best

We all hope for the best when it comes to our end of life decisions. Life sometimes gets in the way, however, and can get in the way of even our best laid plans. Talking with family, friends, and other loved ones while you’re still alive is a perfect way to ease their grief and will also help you feel like you are a part of the event, giving you peace of mind that your wishes will be met. If you do so early enough you can get out ahead of any misfortune, which will undoubtedly help those left behind better cope with their loss. At the end of the day it’s a win-win for both you and your loved ones, making planning your funeral while you’re still alive absolutely worth considering. 

If you have any further comments or questions for us here at Charles J O’Shea, please don’t hesitate to reach out and get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you.